Fruit of the Loom Environmental Promise Needs to Fulfilled

When it comes to holding corporations accountable, knowledge is power. But when major global brands refuse to disclose the environmental impact of the subsidiaries that manufacture, pack, and ship their products, too often consumers are left in the dark.

With dozens of suppliers across the world, including 40 in China alone, Fruit of the Loom has a vast supply chain. But while the brand claims a commitment to a “environmentally friendly” business model, we know nothing about the greenhouse gas emissions of its supply chain.

At December’s Paris climate talks, countries around the world committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to keep global warming well below two degrees. But in order to do that, first we need to hold big brands like Fruit of the Loom accountable for the emissions hidden deep in their supply chains.

Fruit of the Loom makes an “environmental promise” to consumers to “design products, processes, equipment and packaging that are environmentally friendly.” And in many ways it lives up to that promise — Fruit of the Loom even won a 2015 Climate Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for committing to reduce electricity-related GHG emissions by 40 percent.

Clearly, Fruit of the Loom has some genuine commitment to the environment. Which is why we need to come together to ask the brand to do more by disclosing greenhouse gas emissions in its supply chain. Doing so could help create a new garment industry standard and push other brands to follow suit.

We’ve seen the power we have to shape corporate action on climate change, like when we helped get a 40% shareholder support on a resolution asking Suncor to disclose its lobbying spending. Now, we need to come together to hold Fruit of the Loom accountable for its total environmental impact.